The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 80: The plot gets back on track

When Spartz entered the banquet hall, the king was already seated there. Upon seeing Spartz, the king showed no joy, but rather a hint of displeasure as he said, "You've come, Spartz."

Sipoz bowed slightly and replied politely, "Yes, Father, I never expected you to arrive before me."

The king frowned and replied in a serious tone, "What are you talking about?! It's my banquet, so of course I need to arrive early to avoid being impolite."

Spoelstra smiled slightly, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes: "Oh, I see. I thought you were still admiring the flowers and didn't have time to come here."

The king's eyes widened, and he shouted angrily, "What are you saying?!" His voice was loud enough to attract the attention of the guests present, who all cast curious glances at him.

Qiao Xiao's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly rebuked, "What are you saying, Spitz?"

Upon hearing Qiao Xiao's voice, Shi Bozi's hostility instantly transformed into affection. He slowly approached Qiao Xiao and pressed himself tightly against her, appearing very intimate.

Spoelstra said gently to Qiao Xiao, "I'm sorry, Mother, I was too blunt, but what I said was the truth."

Qiao Xiao turned to the king helplessly and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have been taking care of Shi Bozi these days. I have not taken good care of him. Please forgive me."

The king grew increasingly irritated watching the two of them sing in unison. He waved his hand and said impatiently, "How could I blame you, my queen?"

Spartz raised an eyebrow slightly, a barely perceptible sneer playing at the corner of his mouth: "Your queen?"

With the king's command, the banquet officially began. Due to local customs, the king and queen were required to remain together throughout the evening.

And a pair of eyes, watching them closely from beginning to end, belonged to Spohr.

Spoelstra looked at Qiao Xiao with some impatience as she smiled and fawned over the king. Just as she was about to step forward, she found herself surrounded by a group of young girls.

The girls smiled, their eyes revealing their adoration for Spartz.

One of the girls spoke up, "Your Highness, would you like to dance with me?"

Spoelstra coldly replied, "Sorry, I'm not available right now." Then he turned and left.

Just then, the Prime Minister approached, his face full of apology. "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. This is my youngest daughter, Sunny. She has always admired you greatly, so she was rather impolite just now. Please forgive her rudeness, and I apologize on her behalf."

The prime minister is a person who can keenly observe the situation and make wise judgments.

He was well aware of the king's firm resolve to forbid the prince from learning horsemanship, but now, although the prince had become a true knight, the king had not punished him severely. This showed that the prince was still deeply loved by the king, and marrying his daughter to the prince was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister," Spoelstra asked curiously, "did you have any unusual experiences when you and your father went on inspection tours together?"

The Prime Minister smiled and replied, “An unusual experience? Your Highness, you are truly considerate of us! Let me recall… Oh, right, three days before the King’s return, he suddenly suffered from an unbearable headache and sought help from many doctors to no avail. In the end, it was that attendant who cleverly helped the King alleviate his pain.”

Spoelstra suddenly realized: "So that's why he became the king's personal attendant."

The Prime Minister nodded in praise, saying, "You are indeed exceptionally intelligent, Your Highness."

Sunny, unable to get a word in edgewise, was deeply dissatisfied with her father's actions. She looked at him with a resentful expression, then began to whine affectionately, "Father~"

The Prime Minister immediately understood her request, and said to Spartz with a smile, "Your Highness, my youngest daughter has been spoiled by me since she was a child and is not very good at socializing. Please take good care of her."

Spoelstra responded somewhat helplessly, "I..." He looked down at Sunny and saw her shy expression, which made him frown slightly.

The king stared lustfully at Qiao Xiao, but at the same time he noticed that Spitz was glaring at him fiercely. He immediately deflated like a punctured balloon and could only say to Qiao Xiao with a sullen expression, "Spitz has been watching you the whole time, Fali. He seems to be too dependent on you. He's already thirteen years old, and he'll be an adult in three years. It's time to find him a marriage partner and discipline him properly."

Qiao Xiao: "Why don't you talk to His Majesty about this idea? Maybe it will ease the tension between you two."

She wasn't doing this out of genuine concern for the king; she wanted to turn the father and son against each other.

Anyway, as long as the goal of sowing discord is achieved, that's fine.

After all, Spoelstra now has someone in her heart.

The king was somewhat tempted by these words, but he still turned to look at To, as if seeking his opinion.

Tohri understood the king's thoughts and replied, "I think this is a good idea, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed and immediately said, "Very well, I will announce this matter now."

He strode quickly to the center of the banquet, whereupon a servant immediately struck the ceremonial music, drawing the attention of everyone present.

The king cleared his throat and said loudly, "Next, I am about to announce something important."

“My son, Spartz, is thirteen years old and of marriageable age. Therefore, we will hold a grand selection ceremony to help him choose a suitable queen.”

Before he finished speaking, a murmur of surprise and astonishment erupted throughout the room.

Spurgess's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembling as he cried out, "What? But this is impossible, Father! I already have a queen in mind!"

His voice instantly drew everyone's attention.

Sunny was also startled by his outburst.

What?! The prince already has someone he likes!

The King looked at To with pleading eyes, his face extremely pale; he was barely able to hold on any longer. His eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment. It was the Queen who had proposed choosing a princess for Spartz, so why was another object of affection suddenly appearing? Did the Queen not know about this?

Suddenly, the king realized, "That's right, the queen is a second queen, not the first wife."

The king felt extremely embarrassed, standing frozen on the stage, unsure of how to get off.

Qiao Xiao calmly looked at the crowd below the stage and slowly said, "Since the prince has already found someone he loves, then I regret to inform you all that today's selection ceremony for the princess will have to be canceled."

As soon as she finished speaking, a commotion arose from below the stage, with Sanny's voice being the loudest: "How can this be! Your Majesty and Queen, Prince Spartz's engagement is a serious matter, how can it be treated so lightly?" She glared at Qiao Xiao with a face full of anger, her eyes flashing with dissatisfaction and rage.

Qiao Xiao looked at her without changing her expression, her tone still calm: "I understand your concerns, but the purpose of selecting a consort is to find the most suitable candidate. If Shi Bozi already has someone he likes, then why waste any more time?"

Sunny retorted, unwilling to give up, "But we don't know who he has his eye on, nor are we sure if she is qualified to be a princess."

Qiao Xiao smiled slightly and nodded in agreement: "You're right, so the selection ceremony will be temporarily canceled until we determine whether the person that Shi Bozi likes is qualified to become a princess. What do you think of this arrangement?"

Sunny was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Thank you for your reply, Your Majesty."

Unbeknownst to Sunny, Spitz's gaze seemed to pierce through her, filled with murderous intent as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.

"Is that how you talk to the princess?" Spartz thought fiercely to himself, his dissatisfaction with Sunny reaching its peak.

After the banquet, the King, Joshua, and Spartz returned to the main palace where they had met with the ministers.

The king sat on his throne, rubbed his forehead wearily, and then said to Qiao Xiao, "Queen, you may ask the question."

Qiao Xiao glanced at the imposter king, her heart filled with sarcasm, but she put on a faint smile. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Spoelstra stood to the side, his expression unchanged, his gaze occasionally falling on Qiao Xiao, filled with an undisguised affection.

Qiao Xiao took a deep breath and asked Shi Bozi, "Shi Bozi, do you have someone you like? Who is she?"

Schuberts looked up, staring at her intently. "She's a beautiful young woman." His gaze was aggressive as he fixed on Qiao Xiao.

Qiao Xiao felt a little flustered by his gaze, and she deliberately avoided his eyes.

Standing in the shadows, To suddenly sensed something was amiss between them. He frowned deeply and pondered to himself.

To thought to himself: My God, this is incredible, this is terrifying! I have finally come up with a way to bring down Prince Scherz!

The imposter king, oblivious to anything amiss, pressed on, "Then where is she?"

Spartz's lips curled up slightly, revealing a joyful smile. "She's right beside me."

Qiao Xiao was startled and looked at Qiao Xiao in disbelief.

The king looked at Spartz with suspicion. "A maid? You actually like maids?" His voice revealed surprise and doubt.

Spartz looked at the king with a hint of disdain in her eyes and calmly replied, "I love her, no matter who she is."

This tone is just like that of a lovelorn person who would risk everything for love and defy their father's wishes.

The king frowned, glared angrily at Spartz, and shouted, "I will not allow you to associate with her! I want you to sever all ties with her!"

Without flinching, Spitz straightened his back and resolutely replied, "That's impossible!"

The king was furious, his face flushed red. His hand trembled as he pointed at Shi Bozi and roared, "How dare you defy me! Guards, take Shi Bozi to a side hall!"

Despite hearing the king's command, Spitz still bit her lip and refused to yield.

Qiao Xiao quickly knelt down and pleaded hypocritically, "Your Majesty, Shi Bozi is still young and ignorant. He did not mean to disobey you. Please forgive him."

Shi Bozi tried to help Qiao Xiao up, saying anxiously, "Mother, please get up quickly."

Looking at Qiao Xiao's beautiful face, the king couldn't help but waver.

Just then, To immediately spoke up to remind him, "Your Majesty!"

The king finally snapped out of his madness and commanded in a calm yet authoritative voice, "Take him away!"

Although the knights were reluctant to lay a hand on the beautiful prince, they still faithfully carried out the king's orders.

They approached cautiously, and one of the knights said softly, "Excuse me, Your Highness."

Looking at Qiao Xiao kneeling on the ground with a sad expression, Shi Bozi said, "Mother, don't worry, I will be fine. Please take good care of yourself."

Watching Shi Bozi being led away, Qiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Good, the plot is on track.